Bev Steiner has worn a multitude of hats in her life: mother, wife, grandmother, medical technician, and others, but at the Mennonite Memorial Home she is known for her fragrant gifts of potpourri.
Bev, the flower lady, refined her art of making her potpourri after she came to the Mennonite Home to recover from a shattered femur.
She tells the story about the first time she decided to make some potpourri. She took the flowers from a great nieces wedding and made some for the bride and their mothers.
At the Mennonite Home she has worked to refine her techniques. She began growing flowers and herbs in a garden, and even the staff saves her petals and brings them in for her to use.
She carefully dries all the flowers and herbs she uses first, and then begins to layer different types. She starts with greenery like basil leaves, sage and lavender along with other herbal fragrances.
Next, she then begins to layer petals and add essentials oils to each layer finishing with the prettiest petals on top. She likes to use hydrangeas, orchids, pansies, fuchsia and roses.
Bev said that the flowers from the MMH gardens, family and friends keep her in petals! Her hobby is also one of giving, when she has finished making a batch of her potpourri, she enjoys giving it away to family, friends and staff.
She will demonstrate her art during the flower show at the Mennonite Memorial Home on Saturday, Sept. 24, during the fall festival.
